Friday, April 22, 2016

and early morning starts with woollen jumpers, feeding stock and checking waters,

and extra long cuddles with a very special dog, Sally!

You see, a couple of months back Sally fell off the back of a motorbike while out mustering. Her back leg got caught up in the spokes of the rear wheel and it was horrific! Sally's very lucky to be alive, with all of her legs! So, this gorgeous dog is now my Millie's pet. They're the best of friends and Sally never has to work another day, ever.

Friday, April 1, 2016

As my Summer vegetables slowly start dying down, making way for our Winter crops to be planted, I can feel a shift in the air, it's been a long hard Summer and this shift could not come sooner...

There's been long, hot days in the schoolroom,

a swimming carnival with our bush school friends,

and dry, dusty days in the sheep yards while our farmer has been away.

I've had some trying times with my eldest girl of late as her mind (and body) slowly transforms from a small girl to a young woman. As much as I'd like to hide from the obvious and keep my girl a wee little baby forever, the time for growth is important and I'm really trying to embrace this special time in my gorgeous girls life! Can she really be 'double digits' this year, already?

When I look back to when I was this age, my parents were newly divorced and conversations with my mother were almost non-existent. I understand now, as a mother and a wife, that this must have been a difficult time for her, but for me, I just remember feeling alone and embarrassed of my body and I'm going to try my hardest to make this time in my girls life one that she remembers fondly!

With all of this said, we've had a pretty hard slog this past 3-4 months. We've had 4 really dry years here at 'Darling Downs', and are coming into our 5th as there's no good rain forecast on the horizon. So, for about 6 months now my husband has taken up work mustering on other stations to help bring in some extra money to pay our farm mortgage. This means that he's away for as long as 10 days at a time and I'm left to run the farm, school the kids, keep the home, and tend to the garden.

All jobs that I truly do love but when it's hot and you're tired and your husband is away and your kids are pushing all the wrong buttons you kinda get a little burnt out! So, a glass of red at the end of the day, just before the sun goes down, seems to be just what I need to put things into perspective!

And here's my perspective....I'm so lucky to live where I live and do what I do. I have a beautiful family and a loving husband. We're lucky that there is extra work available at the moment and that my husband is capable and able to do it. Although it hasn't rained I'm blessed to still have water to keep my kitchen garden alive and producing for my family. I'm lucky to have a home which is lovely and cool on the hottest of Summer days and toasty and warm on the coldest of Winter nights. And most importantly, I'm lucky that my husband comes home safely!!! He is such a hard working man who often pushes himself more than I sometimes think is even possible. I'm lucky to have 3 children who are kind, loving and caring in their own unique ways and a husband who truly does love us,

and who would give almost anything to be with us, yep just us, we're enough and he's enough, and we like it just like that!!!

So.... Are you feeling a little burnt out after a long dry, hot Summer, too??? Can you feel a shift in the air?